10 Bad Actors

Cinema is filled with more mediocre actors than good ones, and the ten bad actors on this list pull more than their fair share of that tedious weight. The best thing about the list is the transnationality of its lineup, proving that bad actors stretch across the globe and not just in the good old U.S. of A.

Dolph Lundgren - The world came to know him and love him as the uber intimidating Ivan Drago in “Rocky IV,” but the world would as soon forget every other film he's done since then. A possible highlight would be “Universal Soldier,” but the camp factor is too much to take him seriously.

Jean-Claude Van Damme - Make no mistake, Jean-Claude can kick serious butt, and unlike one of his contemporaries—cough Steven Seagal cough—Van Damme didn’t let himself go. Unfortunately, JCVD couldn’t put the same work into beefing up his acting chops as he could his physique.

Tara Reid - She cried in the immediate run-up to her character’s death in “Urban Legends” and it was convincing. So what happened after that? Movies like the “American Pie” franchise and bad roles in bad movies like “My Boss’ Daughter” and “Alone in the Dark.”

David Hasselhoff - The Hoff has become something of a good-natured joke these days, and he’s more than willing to go along with it. But that’s because no one’s paying attention to his acting and, thankfully, he’s not really trying anymore. Anyone remember “Nick Fury: Agent of Shield”?

Steven Seagal - Once upon a time, Seagal had a credible acting career with some enjoyable movies. In the years since, he’s done everything he can to make the world forget about them. The once fit martial arts action star turned into a pony-tailed, overweight mumble-mouth resigned to playing a cop in each of his direct-to-DVD films.

Freddie Prinze, Jr. - They say every actor has one good role in them, including bad actors. If that’s the case, the world continues to wait for Prinze’s time to come. Until then, he’ll keep furrowing his brow and calling it drama.

Chris Klein - When you play a slow-witted jock in a movie like “American Pie” and still make audiences cringe at your performance, you know you’re near the top of the ten bad actors list. Time to go back to acting class.

Madonna - Proof that an incredible stage performance doesn’t necessarily translate into good acting. Not so much wooden, Madonna always looks like she’s trying really, really, REALLY hard. Her best performance was a bit part on an episode of “Will & Grace.”

Jessica Simpson - Sure, she was hot in “Dukes of Hazzard,” but Daisy Dukes can only take a bad actor so far. Her best role to date was in the overlooked “Employee of the Month,” but there she benefited from standout performances by Dax Shepard, Dane Cook, and the several professional comedians filling the secondary roles.

Keanu Reeves - All hail the King of the ten bad actors! To be fair, Reeves has had some memorable performances, namely “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” “The Matrix,” and “The Gift,” but by and large Keanu comes off as a surfer dude trapped inside whatever character he’s supposed to be playing.